
Feasts and Fasts
Customs, traditions, and meditations related to the Great Feasts (and a few of he lesser feasts) of the Orthodox Church. Pascha has its own section. To find a particular feast or fast quickly, check the index, where they’re listed by date.


Relics of the True Cross
First published May 21, 2016 In the Orthodox Church, we celebrate the holy and life-giving Cross with a Great Feast in mid-September, and again on the third Sunday of Lent. The Finding of the True Cross The Great Feast commemorates the finding of the True Cross: After...
Keeping Advent and Christmas during the pandemic
Remember what it was like, keeping Lent and Pascha at home this year? There was so much that we couldn’t do, because of the pandemic. That meant we had to figure out a different way of celebrating. We had to build on the foundations of our traditions, to create a...
Holiday gift guide for Orthodox families
My husband and I love Christmas shopping. We skip the malls and go to the small, eccentric, family-owned brick-and-mortar shops that have unique and meaningful gifts. And we fill in with gifts from small online shops. This year’s going to be different, though....
How do you celebrate the Nativity of the Theotokos?
Are there things you do every year to celebrate the Nativity of the Theotokos? I didn’t grow up Orthodox. So I didn’t grow up having customs and traditions for all of the Orthodox feasts. I wish I had. I love the liturgical calendar. Honestly, it’s one of the things...